Scholars urge United States to focus on internal stability

As co-authors of “The Prosperity Agenda,” Soderberg and Katulis explained how the global perception of the United States has been important to American success.

There is currently “an unprecedented spike in anti-Americanism” around the world, said Soderberg, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Both authors, however, said that changing recent negative opinion is possible.

“When America does the right thing,” Soderberg said, “the world notices.”

After Soderberg finished giving a brief overview of their book, Katulis explained several of its key points. Criticizing America’s preference for military solutions, Katulis denounced President Bush’s focus on freedom and democracy, stating that these qualities were not the “basics that drove human behavior.”

The speakers said that they disapproved of the American approach to the war in Iraq.

“It was not just about not enough troops, it was about the focus of our policy,” Katulis explained. He said that by limiting its efforts to the physical and political wellbeing of the Iraqi nation, the U.S. government condemned itself to failure. Going forward, he noted, the focus of American efforts should be extended to economic and social viability, such as providing electricity to Iraqi citizens.

The presidential candidates will inherit both domestic and overseas problems, the lecturers noted. Citing the “fundamental philosophical differences” between Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Katulis said he believes that Obama would be more likely to pragmatically address global challenges, noting that McCain’s viewpoints are too similar to Bush’s “freedom agenda.” In addition, McCain’s “us vs. them” foreign policy is inherently flawed because of his refusal to compromise, he explained.

To implement the lecturers’ plan for America’s success, Katulis and Soderberg suggested that the United States should first focus on itself.

Looking toward domestic issues, however, should not be confused with a “call for isolationism,” Katulis said. He cited the crumbling state of America’s economy as an example of domestic crisis.

The speakers agreed that the only way to gather enough support for international prosperity is to first foster internal stability.

The audience consisted largely of graduate students and community members. One undergraduate, however, offered a criticism in an interview after the lecture.

“There were a lot of generalities,” Wilson School major Molly Slotznick ’10 said. “I would have liked to hear more about specific foreign aid.”